Reply To: who is "The Gadol Haddar" of America

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#1617390
Yabia Omer
Participant

I have one question that no one will be able to properly answer. Who decides who is and who is not the “Gadol”?
Is there some sort of council that we are all bound to that decides? And isn’t it a little yehoradik to even have an opinion on the matter? Who are we to decide such things?

Furthermore, it is possible that there is a Talmid Chacham in some town that no one talks about who is greater in chochma than who we consider the Gedolim. Because he is not mefursam, does that take away from his Gadlus?

Like I say, “Gadol Hador” is a recent (Ashkenazic) invention. La haya velo nivra. Yes there were people that were Gadol BaTorah and whose opinions we follow (Rambam, Noda BIhuda, etc.) but for the VAST majority of Jews, they consulted with their local rav or Dayan. They did not travel to Jerusalem and line up to ask a 3 second question to a rabbi.

Finally, what do you guys mean by “Kanoi”? If you mean someone who is fanatical, then why is that a Ma’ala that should be valued? In our lands, fanaticism did not exist and was not valued. All of our rabbis were pleasant, wise and moderate. Rabbis who scream “Reshoim! Gevaald!” do not impress us. It shows a lack of substance. You guys will never understand this point of view because it is not in your spiritual DNA to understand it. Hamevin yavin.